


stick or switch

by maximofos



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Swearing, but more feeling, other islanders, overthinking is my mc's main personality trait, stick or switch episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-16 02:56:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20172457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maximofos/pseuds/maximofos
Summary: CJ's facing the toughest recoupling yet. The question is - should she trust Bobby or listen to her head? Fight for their relationship or run at the first thought of trouble? Let others' opinions guide her or hope she can find her way herself?Stick...or switch?





	stick or switch

**Author's Note:**

> no one asked for this but it's here anyway lol

**[Girls, today is your last day in Casa Amor. This morning the boys are going to treat you to brunch. Then you’ll return to the Villa in the afternoon. This evening, you will be asked whether you want to stick with your current partner in the Villa, or switch and couple up with one of the boys from Casa Amor. Your partner in the Villa will face the same decision.**  
** #packyourbags #endoftheline #allchangeplease]**

It was the text she had both been looking forward to and dreading. With Casa Amor ending and a recoupling looming on the horizon, CJ’s head was spinning. What the hell was she supposed to do?

She had been fairly loyal to Bobby since the girls arrived at Casa Amor; she had no intention of hurting that boy. He was probably one of the loveliest boys she had ever been with, which didn’t say much with her track record but still.

Sure, she had shared a bed with Carl these past few days, and she’d done her fair share of flirting but it was all relatively harmless. Bobby wasn’t the jealous type anyway, so it’s not like he would mind. And she had always been upfront with Carl and the girls. She made it clear her priorities were with Bobby.

It didn’t go over well with Carl, obviously. If he was being sincere, he actually fancied her a lot. Of course, he could have just said that to try and get into the Villa, but he didn’t seem like that kind of guy. He was sweet and a little awkward, but he didn’t come across as a liar. And if he was being real with her, it just made CJ’s position harder. She’d never liked to break people’s hearts.

And she wasn’t sure if she wanted to.

As she put the finishing touches on her makeup, she thought back over the past few days. There had been times she was actually relieved to be in Casa Amor, where the girls seemed to forget their feuds and come together in the mutual interest of grafting the new boys. She had enjoyed herself - chilling with Marisol and Graham, chatting to Carl and Arjun, even getting a reluctant lap dance from Kassam - but every moment was bittersweet. Every laugh, smile, or compliment reminded her of their Villa boys. The original guys.

Bobby. To put it simply, she missed Bobby - more than the others.

But had he missed her? He said he would, but who really knows? Everything moved so fast in the Villa. She had been away for three and a half days. That was almost a month in Villa-time. CJ wasn’t clueless; she knew how this show worked by now. If the girls had been surrounded with six new boys, the boys had been cracking on with six new girls.

_Fucking weather reporters._

What if Bobby had met a girl who was more his type? He had already admitted to her once that he liked more natural girls, but he had said it didn’t matter - he liked her anyway. It had made her stomach churn at the time, and that feeling hadn’t gone away completely. It was back in full-force now.

Heaving a great sigh, CJ fixed her dark hair in the mirror before glancing away. At least on the outside she looked calm; the rest of the girls were freaking out visibly. Priya had sprayed at least three different perfumes to find the right one, and the rest of the girls were practically climbing over each other to find what they were going to wear.

“Babe, which of these do you like better?” Priya asked, thrusting three more body sprays in CJ’s direction. She barely stopped one of them from hitting the floor.

“Grass and Gooseberry,” she answered, taking the other two from Priya and setting them down.

Priya sighed, scooting out of Lottie’s way as she tried to get by. “That’s what I thought too, but it just doesn’t feel right now I’ve put it on.”

Marisol shook her head, pausing her mascara application. “You’ve already sprayed them everywhere, hun. CJ isn’t going to be able to tell the difference.” She had a point. Priya’s perfume was only three scents on top of everyone else’s sprays.

CJ crossed to her wardrobe, grabbing the heels she wanted to wear tonight. Priya plopped down in the seat she had vacated and began touching up her eyeliner. Her hand trembled, and it smudged against her cheek.

Lottie all but snatched the eyeliner out of Priya’s hand. “Here. Let me do that for you.”

As CJ fastened her shoes, Chelsea bounced nervously in the center of the room, looking like she was going to take off like a rocketship at any minute. “Can someone just be, like, a peaceful influence right now? I’d really like to just keep calm and find my bliss before we have to go out there. But I think I lost it somewhere under all this stuff.”

“This stuff” being half the contents of the girls’ wardrobes. Hope tiptoed past her, trying to step over the clutter.

“Nevermind your bliss, sweetie. I’d like someone to help me find my shoes.”

CJ sighed, recognizing the telltale signs of the girls needing an intervention. And as the designated Villa Peacemaker, that job fell to her. “Guys, can we all just stop for a second?”

Her plea went unacknowledged. She tried again. “I said… Can you all just take a breath, please!”

All the girls stopped to look at her. A shoe fell out of Hope’s hand comically. “Well, now that I’ve got your attention. Let’s take a moment to bond as a group."

Hope took a deep breath, a small smile breaking across her face. “Good idea, hun."

“I just think that, despite our differences-”

“This might be the last time we all do this together,” Hope finished with a nod.

In a rare display of sweetness, Lottie spoke up, “I’m so happy I had you girls to share this experience with.”

“Babes, it’s going to be fine,” Chelsea assured her, one hand patting her back. “Whatever we decide, we’re all going to get through this.”

“Are you just being the world’s most positive person, or do you really think that?”

“You’ve got to wish it to make it happen.”

“I believe in omens, not wishes, and the signs aren’t good.”

_Oh, god, Lottie. Please stop. I can’t hear more about the omens right now; I already feel doomed,_ CJ thought to herself. She loved Lottie, she really did, but she couldn’t handle this at the moment.

Lottie continued, “That giant pigeon earlier was just the first of many. Whatever we choose, it will be the wrong choice.”

Now CJ _really_ felt doomed. Lottie’s predictions almost always came to fruition.

Marisol rolled her eyes and fixed her hair in the mirror. “I don’t think that giant pigeon was a sign. Let’s be rational. I know I’m safe, because I’m going to couple up with Graham.” She sighed. “It’s hard to do that to Bobby, but I know in my heart it’s the most logical option.”

CJ turned towards Marisol and their eyes connected in the reflection of the mirror. “As long as you don’t get Bobby dumped. If that boy gets sent home because of you…”

Maybe it wasn’t fair for CJ to put it on Marisol, but it wasn’t like she had asked Lucas to couple up with her. If it had been up to her, she would have been coupled up with Bobby this whole time and hopefully never have gone to Casa Amor. But being away had given her time to think - perhaps too much time.

Marisol winced. “Sorry, CJ. Obviously you’re more invested in this specific case. But I just mean in general, for all of us. We should play it safe.”

_But what’s safe?_ CJ thought. She couldn’t leave her fate on the island in Lucas’s hands. They had only been coupled up for a night when the girls left. It’s not like he felt any loyalty to her. And if that video message was anything to go by, he had probably already pied her off for some weather reporter.

“Love isn’t about taking the safe route,” Hope argued.

“Exactly. It’s about taking the wild route, and letting yourself feel the wind in your hair.” Lottie ruffled her hair with her fingers, the fading pink strands falling over her shoulder.

Chelsea laughed giddily. “Babes, I am so getting that quote framed and put on my wall.”

A muffled ding sounded in the room, and all the girls looked around for where it came from. It was a phone, obviously, but whose and where was it?

Marisol shifted through a pile of clothes on the floor, kicking shoes and jewelry aside. “Found it!”

**[Girls, please make your way to the fire pit for the Stick or Switch recoupling.]**

The tension thickened in the air, and all the girls took a deep breath. “Decision time, ladies,” Hope said seriously.

They stuck close to each other as they made their way downstairs, but they filed outside in a single-file line. A warm breeze blew by and ruffled CJ’s hair, but she shivered anyway. She was not looking forward to this. She had faced her own share of challenges, most of them much more complicated than this, but she couldn’t help feeling like tonight would be one of the biggest decisions of her life. It was as if she could see the different possibilities in front of - stick or switch.

Two roads diverged. But which one would make all the difference?

The Casa boys were already lined up, dressed for the occasion, in front of the fire pit. She didn’t pity any of them. She’d been in their position before, and the feeling never gets better. It’s almost as bad as being the decision maker.

The girls all took their seats, CJ sitting at one end of the bench beside Chelsea. Hope smirked at the boys. “They all scrub up pretty nicely, don’t they?”

Priya smirked. “I’m disappointed they didn’t come in those waiter outfits, to be honest.”

All the girls chuckled at the memory. Even though he hadn’t wanted her to sit with him after she told him she hadn’t made up her mind yet, CJ had seen Carl in that waiter outfit - and to say she had been impressed would be an understatement. That boy was packing heat below the belt, apparently.

“It’s weird seeing them in the Villa, isn’t it?” Chelsea whispered while they waited for the first text to tell them the order they would go in. CJ prayed she wasn’t first. “It makes it so much more real, somehow. They all just got here, and now they’re probably going home again.”

CJ sighed loudly and muttered under her breath, “Let’s just get this over with. I just want things to go back to normal.” But she had a feeling they would have to find a new normal around here.

As the boys complimented the Villa and talked about possible sleeping arrangements, CJ eyed them. She couldn’t deny that Carl looked good tonight - and every night. And he was so sweet, always saying the right thing even if he got tongue-tied. But did he have anything Bobby didn’t have? She wasn’t sure.

A phone chirped, and Marisol stood up to take her turn. There was no guessing what she was going to do, and CJ only paid half attention. Her heart was beating out of her chest and her fists were clenched in her lap.

Stick. Switch. Stick. Switch.

Bobby. Lucas. Carl. Bobby. Carl. Bobby. Bobby. Bobby.

Too soon, Priya stood up and the clock ticked again. CJ’s time to choose was getting closer, and she seriously thought she might pass out. She probably looked more nervous than Priya right now.

“You can do it, Priya!”

“Go for it, babes!”

“Be strong!”

Priya started some speech about attention and Noah and how she wanted to stick with him. CJ caught bits and pieces, enough to catch the gist, and then it was Lottie’s turn. She was pretty sure Lottie would stick with Rahim, but she couldn’t concentrate on anyone else’s decisions right now. Not when she still hadn’t made up her mind and she was now probably seconds away from having to choose.

Despite her best efforts, her mind kept going back to the negative things people have said about her relationship with Bobby. Sure, the good outweighed the bad by a ton, but it was how her mind worked. And she couldn’t shut off the sick feeling in her gut whenever anyone mentioned Bobby playing her.

She didn’t think he had it in him to be that guy, but she had been wrong before. She had been wrong and it had hurt so much, even though in hindsight she had just been a stupid girl, barely older than 19. It was years ago, and a completely different guy to boot, but it had messed her up for a long time. She didn’t think she could survive it again.

The truth was, she could already see herself falling for Bobby. And it scared the shit out of her. So she had a choice to make - trust Bobby or run.

Stick or switch.

Chelsea nudged her when her turn came, and CJ took a shaky breath. Standing up, she thanked the stars that she didn’t fall over under the weight of the decision before her. She stared at the boys, mainly Carl, but she couldn’t focus. They blurred before her, and she blinked twice.

Wringing her hands in front of her, she started her speech, winging it completely. “This choice has been really hard. There’s so much to think about. Whatever happens, I hope you all support me.” She looked at the girls, a few of them flashing her encouraging smiles.

“We’re such a close group, we all rely on each other. That’s still really important to me. In the end, I’ve gone with my head. It’s not always easy when there’s feelings involved…”

_For me at least,_ she thought wryly.

“But I’ve made this choice based on everything we know, and everything that’s happened so far.”

_“If you think being loyal is going to get you anywhere…”_

_“Well, that would be telling, wouldn’t it?”_

_“Calling it now, Bobby is the biggest player on this year’s Love Island…”_

_“Maybe that was your first mistake?”_

_“I bet he’s been doing some serious grafting.”_

_“I just don’t see him putting all his eggs in one basket.”_

_“If this is how I feel after three days, I need to know what happens if we spend more time together.”_

_“It has to be about how you feel.”_

“So I’m going to…” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes tight. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her, waiting for her next words.

_“Do we stick with our boys in the Villa, for our sakes… Or do we take a chance on one of these guys?”_

“Recouple with someone new.” The boys’ faces lit up before the sentence was out of her mouth. She could see Carl take a deep breath, and she let the one she was holding out. Too late to back out now. “And the boy I want to couple up with is… Carl.”

He broke into a smile she tried her hardest to return, and the others clapped as he joined her. “I wasn’t sure you’d go for it. But I’m over the moon.”

Carl took her hand and leaned in for a kiss, their first kiss. She figured now was as good a time as any to get it out of the way. Their lips met briefly, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. After a few seconds, they broke away.

“What a way to be welcomed into the Villa.” He chuckled as they took their seats, and she glowed for a moment before the mess she had gotten herself into hit.

She had just picked Carl, kissed him, and it felt nice._ Nice._ But it wasn’t how she felt when she kissed Bobby. _Fuck me, I’m in over my head._ At this point, she almost wanted him to come in with someone else, even if it would hurt. At least she would feel justified in her choice.

Chelsea chose to stick with Gary - which was a bit of a surprise given all the shit she had said after the video. And as Hope made her speech, she mentioned Bobby and how he had told her to be true to her heart. CJ couldn’t help but think about her own speech. She had blatantly told them she had listened to her head instead.

Lottie whispered to the others. “I’m going to be so sad if Bobby doesn’t make it back.”

CJ gulped and nodded, still worried about him as her fingers were tangled with another man’s. “I’m worried too. I’d hate to see him go home.”

Hope cut the two of them a look and then continued her speech, even though it was predictable to everyone what she would choose. She was so hopelessly hung up on Noah.

As the recoupling ended and the others said their goodbyes, CJ lingered behind the crowd. Chewing her bottom lip nervously, she agonized over the next part of this recoupling. The part where they would find out what their Villa boys chose.

The part where she would find out if she had judged Bobby wrongly. Or the part where she was right but hated it anyway. She hadn’t felt this nervous in a long time.

“I’m so scared, ladies,” Hope said quietly as they all took their seats again. Minutes had passed, and if there had been a physical clock, CJ would have been halfway to insanity by now. “I’ve put my loyalty in Jakub, and I can just imagine he’s going to walk in with someone else.”

“Babe, tell me about it. I don’t want to be the reason Bobby goes home. I just don’t.” Graham rubbed Marisol’s back, and CJ winced.

She knew now that if Bobby went home, she wouldn’t blame Marisol. She would blame herself, no matter how unfair that would be. She was the one who had been coupled up with him since the beginning (except for when Priya stole him briefly) and she was the one who had just recoupled with someone else because she couldn’t trust he was who he said he was.

Carl nudged her and her head snapped up, her lip popping out from between her teeth. “How are you feeling about all this?”

She couldn’t lie to him. “I’m so nervous.”

“It’s going to be fine. It’s you and me now, babe.” CJ tried to smile, she really did. But her face felt stiff and she dropped her gaze again. Marisol’s phone dinged.

**[Girls, it’s time to find out what the boys decided…]**

The text went on, Marisol reading it out to make sure everyone understood, but CJ couldn’t listen. At this rate, she had probably picked all the gloss off her lips, but she couldn’t help it. It was a nervous tick.

As she stared down at the wood under their feet, a new person joined them and she looked up to see Noah - alone. _Props to them,_ she thought as Priya and Noah reunited. She knew they hadn’t seen the last of the Nope drama, but at least there wasn’t a third girl involved now.

Gary came next, alone too, much to Chelsea’s - and probably Lottie’s - satisfaction. Maybe things were looking up after all. Maybe there had just been a lot of duds in the Villa while the girls were at Casa Amor.

“Hey, guys!” Ibrahim’s deep voice called. Lottie turned to watch him come in, and CJ could tell by her face it wasn’t good. Interest piqued, she turned too. On Ibrahim’s arm was a tall redhead. “I’d like you all to meet Shannon.”

_Oh, it’s gonna kick off,_ CJ winced as Lottie confronted Ibrahim. Her grip on Carl’s hand tightened minutely, but he didn’t seem to mind. Eventually the two of them turned away from each other, but the tension didn’t change.

Almost like she had a sixth sense, CJ straightened. She had that feeling she used to have in school, where she knew the teacher was going to call on her before it happened.

Then came that voice. It had made her smile, laugh, blush more times than she could count. Bobby._ Shit._

“I hope you girls are ready to get hands-on. Because the man with the fastest fingers in the Villa is back, and he’s still single and ready to mingle.”

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fu-_

Suddenly, he was standing right there and that smile she’d grown to love was gone. Vanished, and honestly she wasn’t sure which one of them looked more gutted. He had _stuck_.

“Oh,” he said dejectedly. “That’s...not what I wanted to see.” He actually had to take a moment to breathe, but she couldn’t. She was stuck, feeling like she was at the top of one of those tall roller coasters and waiting for a free fall that wouldn’t come.

CJ loved Bobby’s face but not when she put that expression on it.

Carl - sweet, awkward Carl - got up to shake Bobby’s hand. It was a nice gesture really, but it made CJ uncomfortable. She didn’t want them within ten kilometres of each other. “I’m Carl. It’s nice to finally meet you. You look taller on the telly.”

Ever the nice guy, Bobby shook his hand, standing up a bit taller - almost on his tip-toes. “That better?”

Carl laughed and took a step back. “You’re funny. You were right, CJ, he’s proper funny.”

They both winced at the same time, but Bobby shook it off while she just felt like locking herself in the bathroom for the next few weeks. “Who wouldn’t want to put a smile on her face?”

Something twisted sharply in her heart as her mind berated her - _should have trusted him, you were wrong, they were wrong, stupidstupidstupid._ He smiled sadly at her as he moved to an open seat. Their eyes stayed locked, even as she felt her throat clog up.

“Found yourself a catch. I’m happy for you, babe,” Bobby said. As if she needed further proof that he was a great guy and _way too good for her._

She couldn’t do anything but stare. When she found her voice, it came out weak and wobbly. “I thought you’d switch.”

_Please understand, please. I didn’t know what to do,_ is what she didn’t say. Not here.

Bobby actually looked shocked. “Who, me? You know me. I couldn’t be any stickier if you rolled me in jam. I figured I owed it to you… And I guess I just underestimated Marisol. I’ll never make that mistake again.”

_“You know me.”_

No, she had hoped she knew him, that she could trust him after what everyone said but she hadn’t trusted him and now look at them. In a bigger mess than they were a few days ago when Lucas decided to couple up with her.

_“I owed it to you.”_

You know, because he had told her before they left that he would miss her and things weren’t the same without her and she was all he needed, but she had_ fucked up._ Listened to other people, listened to her head. When had her head ever led her in the right direction?

“There can’t be many more people left, right?” Carl asked as they waited.

Bobby sat on the other side of the fire pit, directly across from them, with none of his usual energy. He sunk into himself. “It’s a total mix-up in here. I’m not sure I can handle the excitement.”

He sounded about as excited as she had all day. She hated thinking she had done this to him.

CJ zoned out, nearly missing everything of Jakub’s arrival except that he had come in alone. Which was good because she probably would have killed him in his sleep if he hadn’t. It was his fault the last recoupling got so screwed up in the first place.

“What were you thinking about, CJ?” Chelsea pokes her arm from the other side of Carl.

“What?” She turned her head to see all the Islanders staring at her. She didn’t even have it in her to blush.

“You’re just staring off into the distance again.” Had they noticed she had been doing it all night? “Are you worried because Lucas hasn’t come out yet?”

Honestly, she hadn’t even noticed. CJ hadn’t thought about anything tonight but Bobby and her decision - and since it was made, how much she had mucked it up. Her voice was nearly dead as she answered Chelsea. “I’ve been worried the whole time.”

About Bobby. Always Bobby.

But she couldn’t say that either.

She was saved from further questions by footsteps on the path. Lucas walked down the steps, the girl from the challenge in the video holding his hand.

“Hey guys. It’s so good to see you all again.”

“I’m so excited to meet you all.”

CJ’s eyes darted around. Lucas. Carl. Bobby. The girl. She saw red. She didn’t even care that Lucas had met someone else. She had no feelings for him.

What she did care about was that Bobby hadn’t, apparently, cracked on with another girl. And that Lucas had stopped them from coupling up just to mug her off for some, some…

_Weather reporter._


End file.
